In one of the most exciting games of the high school basketball season, top-ranked
Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) survived an upset bid from
St. John's (Washington, D.C.) to capture its third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament championship 82-76 in double-overtime Monday night at American University.
Despite trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Panthers pulled out the victory behind a heroic performance from five-star Arkansas signee
Jordan Smith, who finished with 39 points, seven assists and seven steals on 10 of 22 from the field and 18 of 25 from the free throw line.
Smith scored 30 of his game-high 39 points in the second half and the overtime sessions. The 6-foot-3 guard overcame a slow first half that saw him go 1 of 7 from the field en route to nine points.
Jordan Smith, regarded as the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2026, looks to guide Paul VI to second national title in past three seasons. (FILE PHOTO: David Custer)
Smith scored 17 of his team's 21 points in two, four-minute overtime sessions and also dished out an assist as he took over the championship game down the stretch despite battling through an illness while playing his third game in three days.
St. John's (24-8) led for the majority of regulation, taking a 9-4 advantage in the first five minutes of the game before seeing Paul VI bounce back to take an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cadets outscored PVI 21-11 in the second quarter to take a 30-22 advantage into the half.
After falling behind by 12 points early in the third quarter, the Panthers cut the deficit to two points multiple times in the period before St. John's closed the quarter strong to push ahead 45-38 heading into the fourth.
Four of five starters scored in double figures for St. John's. St.
Thomas Aquinas signee
Geremy Clark had team-highs of 23 points and six assists in the setback while junior forward
Jordan Taylor piled up 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Junior guard
Jymin Veney finished with 15 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds and top 70 sophomore
Kareem Smith-Bey chipped in 15 points in the loss.
Aside from Smith, only two other players finished in double-figures for Paul VI (30-2) in the victory. Florida Gulf Coast signee
Lawrence Brown pumped in 15 points and four assists and top 100 junior
Brian Mitchell Jr. had 11 points and four rebounds before fouling out in regulation.
Paul VI is now 66-2 in WCAC action over the past four
seasons including the conference tournament. The Panthers finish the season 16-0
against conference opponents after their third win over the Cadets this year.
